They both might be from England, but that’s where the similarities between teammates and friends Darren Till and Mike Grundy end when it comes to being mixed martial artists.
Grundy (11-1) will be making his long-awaited debut inside the Octagon when he takes on fellow Englishman Nad Narimani (12-2) in a featherweight contest at UFC Fight Night 147 at The O2 Arena in London on March 16.
Comparisons with Darren Till
Till — who has long campaigned for the UFC to sign Grundy — will notably be headlining the card against Jorge Masvidal. For the regular casual, one might think Grundy is just like Till in that he’s a confident, trash-talking striker. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth as the 32-year-old told John Hyon Ko of The Body Lock.
“Well, me and Darren are probably more like chalk and cheese. We’re totally different; he’s got a different personality to me. I’m a bit more quieter, he’s very vocal. Even [our] styles are different, I’m more of a wrestler, he’s more of a stand-up guy.”
“We kind of get on and make it work. Even in training, we’re total opposites. I’m trying to take him down, he’s going to try and keep me standing. We work well together, and we work hard together.”
Transition to the UFC
Having been a part of Till’s recent camps, including the recent welterweight title fight with Tyron Woodley at UFC 228, Grundy also feels his transition to the UFC will be an easy one given how he’s been in and around the organization for so long.
“Yeah definitely. I’ve always been in some of the other lads’ corners like Terry Etim and Paul Sass. So I’ve always been in and around the UFC so having that experience of walking out in front of that kind of crowd, even if it’s not for me, you kind of envision it for yourself sometimes.”
“And obviously walking out for the title with Darren in Texas [for UFC 228], it was a special moment and I kind of envision it as how I would feel when I come out. So all that kind of experience, training in the UFC Performance Institute for three, four weeks was also very good. Being around all the athletes and being treated like a UFC fighter was nice as well.”
Stacked UFC London card
Grundy will be competing on what is one of the more stacked UFC London cards with all eyes on the Till vs. Masvidal matchup. He didn’t offer any predictions for the main event but does believe the fans are in for a treat.
“I think for the fans, it’s amazing. It’s one of the best, if not the best, main event that London, the UK’s ever had so it’s going to be special for the fans. That’s a very good fight.”
As for his fight with Narimani?
“I’m expecting a Performance of the Night bonus. I would like that. That’s my goal.”
The full fight card for UFC Fight Night 147 in London can be seen below:
- Darren Till vs. Jorge Masvidal
- Leon Edwards vs. Gunnar Nelson
- Jack Marshman vs. John Phillips
- Claudio Silva vs. Danny Roberts
- Molly McCann vs. Priscila Cachoeira
- Gokhan Saki vs. Saparbek Safarov
- Volkan Oezdemir vs. Dominick Reyes
- Tom Breese vs. Cezar Ferreira
- Nathaniel Wood vs. Jose Quinonez
- Mike Grundy vs. Nad Naramani
Watch Mike Grundy’s interview with John Hyon Ko below and subscribe for more interviews.
